INTERVIEWED: King Of Many Cups, Revaan Raghununan!

“You can do anything, if you have enthusiasm “ – Henry Ford

In today’s hustle and competitive world, we all are trying to shine and make our own marks that we were here, not everyone achieves it. One needs to have the enthusiasm and the perseverance to shine. Such stars, which illuminate different rays of dedication, enthusiasm, talents and skills, can be seen in the upcoming actor, model and presently ANN7 SIZZLE’s host, Revaan Raghununan.

In all of the years of writing and blogging, this is one interview that I had to patiently wait for and I was not complaining about it until now, only because I knew that it would be worth the wait and brag. To my subtle amusement, it was definitely more than what I had anticipated. Revaan, dressed in dark blue denim pants and a white shirt, with a hazelnut brown blazer, a floral handkerchief and a crystal chain to compliment his perfectly styled and textured hair (envious!) a camel coloured shoe to complete the look took some time out on one evening to give us insight on his life, challenges, aspirations and tips to have perfectly pink lips!

Revaan, also known as “Revz” by friends and family or even as “cookz” as his sister may say, proudly born and bred in South Africa, is the third and last-born child to his parents. Revaan was born at the phenomenal UNITAS hospital during the 1990’s (age is a sensitive issue, for all of us!) and considers himself to be apart of the 1990’s kid relatable memes.

Growing up for Revaan entailed a different and unique childhood experience, one of which that Revaan describes it being different from other kids upbringing. Revaan describes himself as being the nerdy kid of his schooling career (we beg to differ). Coming from a comfortable, open-minded and loving home, Revaan knew that there was more to life, there was more to come after matric results and definitely more to come with studying!

Revaan had studied at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and graduated in May 2014 with a bachelor’s degree majoring in Econometrics, Economics and Investment management (Beauty with a brain, we like!). Every university student has a unique experience at university, so I would like to believe, Revaan explains that the time spent at UJ was more about making friends, playing the notorious game Thunee with a few games of pool and of course, networking himself, rather than focusing on his studies. Revaan believes that he was the life and soul of the many, many parties that he has attended over the years. Revaan goes onto saying that “university is all about letting loose and finding yourself”. Essentially, Revaan aimed to be friends with anyone that had crossed his path and at the least be a contributing factor to their wellbeing, with a proud and gloomy smile, Revaan admits to being in contact with most of the people that he has met during those years, including the ones that did not like him or his hair.

Entertainment industry, you could only imagine how deep I was wondering at this point that how did an investment manager and econometric graduate end up in the entertainment industry?! Upon asking Revaan my burning question, Revaan responds in a Maleficent voice “Well, well…” (You know you’ve tried it too). Presenting and acting has always being one of Revaan’s greatest passions, Revaan always knew that he would try and do his best to end up in the entertainment business, no matter how hard it would be for him. With a sudden beam of excitement, Revaan goes onto saying “you know, if it weren’t for my mum’s constant encouragement and influence, I would not be where I am today”, Revaan goes onto explaining that his mother had noticed his talents and passion at a time where he himself had doubted it, Revaan’s mother not only encouraged him to follow his dreams but supported him in every decision that he has ever made to date.

However, going into an industry where Revaan did not know which direction to take, posed many challenges to him but this, as Revaan says, “it’s all part of the fun!”, Revaan has a personality which could and does work magic for him, it allowed him to network with the right people for the right reasons. The magical moment happened when his now close friend and manager, Shalandra Bunseelal, had been scouting around for potential entertainers and came across Revaan’s Facebook profile (happy stalking!), Shalandra had sent him an inbox message offering him an opportunity to expand his horizons in the entertainment industry. Revaan obviously looked at this as some “I’ve got some candy in the back of the truck” situation and replied to Shalandra that he (Revaan) would need to consult his manager and agent about such opportunities and would get back to him about the offer, here’s the funny part about it, Revaan admits that none of those people existed at the time! With a broad smile and a sigh of achievement, Revaan explains how influential and supportive Shalandra has been in helping him to achieve new heights and the ultimate dream of acting alongside some of the most successful actors. Revaan exclaims, “Shal is my motivation!” Shalandra is the executive producer of ANN7’s East & Style and Sizzle show as well as many other inspiring titles.

Like every human, Revaan has some fears, some of which he explains that he tends to see the opposite in people which clouds his judgement at times. Revaan furthers adds that he fears regret, “I would rather tell people and moreover myself, oh well instead of what if “, Revaan believes that every opportunity and experience contributes to ones self-concept, be it good or bad, we all are unique in our own ways. Revaan strongly believes and adheres to constructive criticism, he suggests that without one not knowing where they are going wrong, one may never be able to be right. Revaan calmly says that he had ensured he would not self-pity or be pulled down, he had made the effort to dream and now he was going to make the effort to achieve it.

A very noticeable trait is that Revaan radiates a lot of positive energy during conversations as well as selfies! With a smirk, Revaan inhales and says, “selfies are all about expression”, Revaan is the king of selfies and may I add that he does a pretty good job at taking them; I am referring to the angles, filters and lighting of course. (@revz_01, you’re welcome). For Revaan, a selfie or pictures of yourself is mainly about building confident and having a level of intellect of which other people may be able to relate to at some point. During Revaan’s free time, Revaan enjoys to meditate and gain some peace of mind amongst the demanding lifestyle that he leads. Revaan believes that one of the most beautiful things that one can do is to radiate a positive energy towards other people, with a comforting smile, Revaan says “leaving footprints in other peoples lives is extremely important and relevant.”

With a sudden burst of laughter, Revaan says “but some situations need wine, a lot of wine!”

Amongst some of the hobbies that Revaan enjoy are swimming, gyming, identifying beautiful souls and laughing hard, a lot of laughter! Making it to SIZZLE was one of the most phenomenal things that could have happened to Revaan, he explains that a day in his life entails a lot of scripts, 20-30 takes on certain scenes, poses and a lot of admirable laughs which make the best of memories. Speaking of memories, Revaan recalls of a time when he and a group of friends played “Kings Cup”at UJ, the result of that night is beyond blurry and ended up with a spider bite, which was confused as with a love bite! Imagine trying to explain that to your parents.

When Revaan was asked about his inspirations and aspirations, Revaan with a gulp in his throat, quietly said that his late father is his guiding light and knows that he is watching over him at all times. Revaan went on to telling us about the time of his elders brothers wedding time where Revaan felt a ray of comfort and contentment by just thinking about his father. With a sudden gloomy smile, Revaan exclaims “but my mum, sister, brother, Shalandra, sister-in-law, friends Selwyn, Damian and Chandini and my granny are always there for me!”

Revaan aspires to be lively, contented, successful and keep others happy, I would have to be honest and say that this is the first ever time that I have heard such aspirations, usually it ranges from material goals to statuses. When I asked Revaan about future plans, all he could say was that patience is vital and that he is striving to achieve his dreams while being happy and alive. In terms of career aspirations, Revaan and Shalandra are working towards a media business called Star Attraction, which is to be inaugurated sometime this year. The programme’s main focus is educating kids, ridding poverty and raising funds for kids.

If you were to check out Revaan’s pictures, you would notice that fashion is either Revaan’s hobby or that he has a personal stylist. When asked about this, Revaan laughs and says, “it’s not about a brand but about style, if it looks good, it happens”

Now you would wonder how such a splendid and phenomenal is being not sharing his love life. Truth is that Revaan is single and hopes to find the right partner in good time, but before that can happen, Revaan wants to find himself and love himself for whoever he turns out to be. Does the word perfect exist for Revaan? No. Revaan juggles his eyebrow and tells me to look it up in the dictionary; the word “perfect” itself does not suggest perfection. The ideal happily ever after for Revaan is to own a vineyard on the Cape mountains along with his one and only married partner and their kids while having his mom coming to visit. When Revaan was asked which three, any three people, that he would like to have dinner with, he calmly replies by saying “the 20 year old versions of my parents and grandmother”, Revaan goes onto explaining that it would be interesting and warming to find out and gain insight on his ultimate role models at that age of theirs. For now, Revaan wishes to focus on his career and aspirations.

Revaan’s advice to anyone that is aspiring to enter the entertainment industry is “never be bothered about people’s opinions unless its constructive criticism, believe in yourself as well as others and it will happen.”

Overall, GoTrendSA can gladly say that Revaan is a man of peace, aspirations, politeness, positive energy and love. It is difficult to come across someone that portrays such honesty in such a humble way, which inspires other people to be better. Revaan treasures family and friends to an extent where they make him feel contented. Another thing, which stood out for us, was the part where Revaan told us about his letter to the universe, it is a letter in which he writes all his expectations, goals, ideas, sorrows and joys. Just this, just this can make you wonder what sort of a person that Revaan is at heart, physically, we have no objections or suggestions!

We then took to Revaan’s fans and wanted to find out their burning questions, best to say that this was a fantastic idea, below is Revaan’s answers to them:

Sahl: What shampoo do you use?

Revaan: Whatever my mum buys for me.

Sahl: Can XYZ please get your red linen set now that you have got a black linen set on? Hahahaha!

Revaan: Sorry, our helper aunty Joanna has it now.

Sahl: Favourite food?

Revaan: Pasta!

Sahl: Favourite adrenalin activity?

Revaan: Sky diving.

Sahl: If you were stuck on an island with someone, who would you want it to be with?

Revaan: My amazing friend, Chandini.

Sahl: If you could take over any country, which country would it be?

Revaan: Oh definitely Monaco!

Sahl: Tips for pouting?

Revaan: Don’t overdo it; try to be as normal as possible.

Sahl: Shower song?

Revaan: Walking on sunshine.

Sahl: Live, Laugh or Live?

Revaan: Laugh, a lot of it!

Sahl: How do you handle people that you don’t like?

Revaan: Avoid them, try to be diplomatic about it or just grab some wine.

Sahl: Do you believe in tit-for-tat or let Karma take it’s course?

Revaan: Let it happen as it comes, the universe is all about getting back what you give out.